Fall means Soup...

Cheesy Potato and Rice Soup

5-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
6 pieces bacon, cooked
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup cream
1 cup shredded cheese

boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until tender. Cook the rice according to the box directions, and set aside. Cook the bacon and reserve the drippings, saute the onions in the bacon drippings and add to the tender potatoes, add the cream, cheese, and rice. Garnish with crumbled bacon! Yummy!

A hard days night...

I worked a 12 hour overnight on Sunday, my first since we left Michigan. It was interesting. I am still in orientation (which seems to be taking forever!) and I will be sooo glad when it is done. The people on night shift are not your ordinary night-owls. Not so much into the fun and cheeriness that I am used too, but that will quickly change once I get a hold of them! Anyway, it was pretty good. But, the funniest part of all is, as many of you know, Mike and I have 1 car. This is something that has made our transportation to various venues interesting. During the week if I need the car, I must get up with him (at 5:45) and take him in. Normally, I just say I don't need the car and go back to bed, but sometimes the errands call, so I must. And, when I was on day orientation, it worked out great because he could drop me off and pick me up. But at night, he drops me off and is at work before I get off in the morning, so a little planning had to be done. Thankfully the shuttle starts back up again in the morning, so I can ride it to the mall, and then walk home! Great idea Mags! The only problem was, I had worked 12 hours and was a little groggy on Thurday morning, so I didn't see the sign on the bus stating clearly that it was going to the other shuttle lot, not mine. I hopped on, listening to my MP3 player, play Adventures in Odyssey to me, and after the bus got moving I noticed, I was on the wrong bus! Well, nothing I could do about it but enjoy the ride. 30 minutes later I am back at the hospital and waiting for my bus to come. It arrives 10 minutes later, and I am on my way. I had a very nice chat with the driver about Obama and McCain, only to find out that in this state of Democrats, my bus driver is Republican! Yahoo! He drops me off at the parking lot, tells me to have a great day, and I start Odyssey up again, but the air is crisp, so I flip it to Christmas music. Just as Amy Grant is belting out "till the season comes round again," I walk up to the mall entrance and realize it is way to early for it to open, I am going to have to walk outside, the whole way home. So, 30 minutes later, I trudge up the death hill and arrive at my front door. I should be tired, but alas sleep will not come after such an invigorating morning, and I stay awake until 12:00.
Oh well!
Tonight Mike beat me in Scrabble yet again, 10 points was all that separated us. Hmm, guess I'll need to memorize that dictionary some more!

Date Night Thursday

Mike and I relieved yesterday we hadn't had date night yet this week. So, it was kinda spontaneous. And a little funny that we are now "those people" who have to have a date night. We tried doing this last year, but really we had date night all the time, because our time constraints were very minimal. But now, we feel like a real married couple because we have to plan a date night! How fun!
After much deliberation, we decided on Outback. I wanted a steak and Mike wanted a hamburger. But, after hearing him read the hamburger choices, I changed my mind!! Mmm, we both got two different burgers, cut them in half and traded. So, it was like getting 2 burgers in 1! And of course, we got Mike's favorite, a blommin onion!
Afterwards we traveled to Borders for a little book fix and Mike needed to read a little in preparation for class tomorrow! It was great! And we even picked up some Christmas gifts!
Well, I am off to do some laundry, I work 3-11 tonight and then tomorrow we get introduced to Settlers of Catan.
Today I am thankful for cool, crisp Fall days!

And We're Back....

When I was a Nurses Aide in Ohio, I really enjoyed writing stories that touched my heart, from the patients that I cared for. Often times, their situations or funny quotes influenced me in a big way. But, since I became a nurse, I missed hearing there stories and ran out of time to write down the ones I did. But, since I started at this new hospital, I have been able to be a nurse, and listen to my patients, and take care of all their problems, not just the physical ones.
Because I worked the weekend, I had the same patients all weekend. All in all, this weekend- I got kissed, yelled at, called names and changed multiple bed linens with yucky stuff in them. I love being a nurse, I love that this new job provides me with the opportunity to bless my patients and hopefully my co-workers. I really got to interact with my patients this weekend, as I worked the weekend and therefor had the same patients for 2 days. Some families, I could do without, they just make the stay in the hospital longer for their loved ones, and for the medical staff. Generally, it's not the patients that make my day long, it's the families. And so, when I have a loved one admitted, or when Mike and I go to the doctor, I try not to come off as a nurse, and I certainly don't tell them I'm one! Anyway, about the 'got kissed" part of this blog, one of my dear little ladies was so enthralled with the "celebrity treatment" we were giving her she hugged me and kissed my cheek. One gentleman refused to eat all weekend, and on Sunday night I gently "forced" him to take a few bites of dinner, for that he called me a "nuisance," and then proceeded to smile, weakly at me. He also chose to yell out in the hall for me when he needed something. These are the times I treasure being a nurse. Don't get me wrong there are lots of days I wish I had just decided to be an accountant, but when families, no matter how annoying, come up at the end of a long day and thankyou for taking care of their parent, and for explaining things to them in an easy way, those are the moments that make it all worth it. Those are the moments I live for.
Well, I'm off, housework calls. Today I am thankful my family if safe in Ohio despite Ike's best efforts.

And they Lived Happily Ever After.......

Well, we are officially tired. It took one year and 3 months of marriage, moving to the northeast end of the USA and finally both starting jobs to do it, but it's happened. We are exhausted every morning and often wake up and say, "Remind me again why we aren't independently wealthy?" But, we are loving our newly found scheduled life. We have never had this before. Mike has a consistent schedule I can remember and I am finally starting nights at the hospital! How exciting!
We are having the Lehtin's and the Durfee's over on Saturday for dinner and The Settlers of Catan. Which would please my brother-in-law, Jason Wing. yes, Jason, we are ready to give in to this cultish following and be Settlers. Honestly, we are really excited to learn how to play! We met the Lehtin's at Seven Mile Road Church, and we quickly knew we would make great friends. Ryan is in Seminary and Lindsey is a Social Worker here in Boston! We are so thankful God has blessed us with their friendship!
Tonight I am thankful for a home and a husband to share it with. Have a great evening.....

Is Fall Here?

64 degrees outside is the resounding, "YES!" I love this season. There always seems to be the smell of leaves, or cookies, or some kind of delicious soup in the air. Or the anticipation of it! I have always loved Fall. It brings all things pumpkin and all things cozy. The first of apple cider and sweatshirts and everyone seems more relaxed despite the busyness that comes with the first weeks of school. I love to hear the rustle of leaves and go for walks and experience the crisp air. This year we have lots of new exploring to do! New pumpkin and apple farms to find. And the promise of gorgeous landscapes since we are in New England.
My mom-in-law does an inspiring job of creating Fall in her household. And I have always enjoyed seeing what new dishes she makes every fall. In the Hamilton household, there are certain dishes that you can plan to look forward to during the Fall season. And Mike and I hope to carry over some of those traditions and share them with our new friends up here in Boston.
We have a busy week ahead of us. Some friends I used to work with in Hillsdale are coming up for a visit and we are meeting them for dinner tonight! Tomorrow, we are having coffee with one of Mike's co-workers and his wife, who also introduced us to our church, Seven Mile Road. Friday, we are also having dinner at some church friends house! Busy, Busy, Busy!
Today I am thankful for days off and crisp, cool air!

Just like Vin Diesel...

So, I took Mike into school today because I have a Dentist appt. later. We got on Route 1, right by our house, and started to merge into heavy traffic. All of a sudden a big SUV comes up on the passenger side driving wicked fast down the shoulder! Which as you know is not wise in Boston, considering all the little side streets and "exits" that dump into Route 1. So he slams on his brakes at the next exit to avoid hitting a car trying to merge, at this point we've caught up to him and I honk my horn, and he speeds off in front of the car he was trying to avoid, however, the avoided car is actually a cop car in disguise! And he pulls him over, so then, out jumps what must be Vin Diesel's twin. This guy is ripped and enraged! It was awesome! The guilty driver in the SUV, looked scared senseless! Mike and I just looked at each other and laughed histerically! What a great morning.
In other news, our dinner on Saturday night was nothing short of a disaster! Mike mentioned he wanted to get a great red sauce that would "pop" his glands. So, we looked up The North End in one of our books on Boston, and found Pomodoro, known as the "Best Itatian Resturant in the North End!" and their red sauce is supposed to be amazing. So, off we go, all dolled up and looking great, all the while hurricane Hanna is making her presence known. We finally roll into a parking lot. Walk through the raindrops in the romantic North End and find Pomodoro. As soon as we walk in we realized we were overdressed, the waiters and waitresses are in jeans and flip-flops. We sit down and read the menu, and find no red sauce and mostly seafood. And we are seated by the window, which is great to people watch, but the menu for the restaurant is hanging right at eye level, so all we see when we look up is a headless person from the chest down! Scarry!!! And to add insult to injury, in teeny-tiny print at the bottom of the menu, it states "cash only please" Well, we had some cash but not enough, so Mike had to run to the ATM, while I continued read the menu over and over again. he came back, after running through the rain. Oh well, we laughed all night, and had no lack of conversation topics.
Today I am thankful for a husband who isn't afraid to laugh with me!